Return To Hogwarts
by Eve-of-Slytherin
Summary: "Just because I'm Harry Potter's son doesn't mean I have to save the world too!" 19 years after Voldemort's death, life seems perfect as Albus, Scorpius, Rose and the rest of the new generation at Hogwarts board the Hogwarts Express. But when they arrive, life isn't all potions, Quidditch and butterbeer. A strange man has arrived, seemingly from the dead. His name? Severus Snape.
1. What Happened At Ollivanders

_Disclaimer:__ If JK Rowling knocks on your door asking you about this story, you don't know anything._

Chapter 1: Happenings at Ollivanders

Sirius Black wasn't the only innocent to be shackled in Azkaban. No, we could hardly flatter the Ministry of the 90's to have been competent enough to only let a mistake like that happen once. Nobody really knows how many of the tormented, broken souls were innocent, but it was certain that the man huddled in Cell 16A was. The blank, black eyes staring out at nothing as echoes of his past played like a frightening pantomime through his mind were grimly resolute – yes, this was a man who had learned very early on that life was anything but fair.

There is a cruel and rarely used spell called the "Memoria Evanui". It causes the victim to lose his memory – similar to the Muggle affliction of amnesia. The dissolving memories are like omnipresent itches the victim is unable to scratch. The caster can target specifically what the target forgets and what they don't – and these memories always remain in the person's mind, jus tantalisingly out of reach. Occasionally, the most tempting memories nearly surface, frustratingly out of reach. It slowly drives the person insane.

The worst part about being in Azkaban was being unable to remember why. He had been there for the good part of a decade, and everything before his fake death was an unreachable void. Only one thought kept him from slipping into the mercies of insanity. One thought. You protected them. You did it. You must have, otherwise you wouldn't be here.

No, I'm sure it wasn't the most cheerful existence.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS - RETURN TO HOGWARTS – SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Snow fluttered from the silvery grey clouds nestled about the well-worn cobblestones of Diagon Alley, as the shoppers down below bustled in a swirling mass of cloaks. Customers trickled through the many curious shops lining the street, hurriedly pushing and shoving in the annual back-to-school rush that arrived every late August. Flickers of conversations wafted through the breeze – gossiping, and of course commenting on the uncommonly cold weather.

Scorpius Malfoy scowled at the leaden skies – it had been disgustingly cold for the past few days, which was rare for late summer, even if it was nipping the heels of autumn. _It really should be illegal for it to snow in August_, he thought fiercely as he wrapped his thick cloak closer to his pale arms. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and give him a slight squeeze. He looked up and smiled at his mother, Astoria.

"It's just a little bit chilly," he said, giving an exaggerated shiver.

Astoria regarded him wryly.

"I'm sure you'll survive son."

Scorpius groaned. Astoria simply arched a manicured eyebrow.

"I doubt your Father and I spent 25 galleons to listen to you complain about being cold."

"Yeah, whatever," Scorpius muttered with all the attitude of a Malfoy who was nearly eleven. "It still shouldn't be snowing in bloody August."

"Language, brother!" Capricorn – who was in third year, but felt practically twenty-five – sauntered towards them, hands clasped to his ears. His face wore a comical mask of affront, and he leaned towards Scorpius's ear.

"The ladies like a lad who doesn't swear," he said in a conspiratorial stage whisper.

"I finally understand why you'll never marry – I thought it was just your looks," Scorpius retorted.

"That was harsh," Capricorn attempted to look hurt.

Astoria had joined Draco a few paces ahead of the boys, her dark head contrasting next to his platinum blond as they strode purposefully through the conveniently parting crowds. Being a Malfoy had to have _some_ advantages.

"Boys, keep up!" Draco called, giving his wand an impatient tap on his palm.

"Coming Father," Capricorn responded stiffly, before swatting Scorpius's rear. "Keep up slow-poke," he teased, jogging ahead.

Scorpius followed.

"Now, Capricorn go with your mother to the Apothecary to get the last of your school supplies – Scorpius and I will get a wand, and then we can all meet at Florian's for ice-cream at one o'clock."

"Sounds good darling," Astoria took her eldest son's hand (much to his embarrassment), and with a crack they were gone. Scorpius winced in appreciation – Cap hated Side-Along Apparation.

"Come, Scorpius," Draco began again to make his way through the crowded streets, "We have much to do."

Scorpius followed wordlessly, giving the Quidditch store a languid look as they passed, which Draco chose to ignore.

"Where am I getting my wand from?" Scorpius fidgeted with the cuff of his robe.

"Ollivanders." Draco said the word like it was a disgusting swear word. "Don't listen to anything the man says, Scorpius. The man's a good wand maker – one of the best – but he's barmy as you like."

Scorpius gave a little smirk and nodded. His father stopped in front of a dingy shop door, and a shiver of apprehension trickled through Scorpius as he wondered about his wand. Scorpius looked at the door; he could just make out the word 'Ollivanders' written in ancient paint. Draco took a deep breath as if steeling his nerves before pushing the door open.

Odd, Scorpius thought.

A small bell tinkled as they stepped into the shop, and a very old man approached the front counter. His large eyes gleamed unnervingly in the dim light of the shop, and as he caught sight of Scorpius's father he uttered a chocked cry.

"Malfoy," he said sourly.

Scorpius felt his father's iron grip on his shoulders.

"Scorpius here is getting a wand," Draco said lightly, pushing Scorpius slightly towards the man.

"Ah," the man said shortly. He turned to Scorpius, and suddenly his whole tone changed. His voice grew rhythmical and distant, his voice lowered and his eyes got a faraway look in them as he spoke.

"I remember when your father came in here to get his first wand. I remember every wand I've ever sold. Why, I remember Harry Potter getting his wand a few minutes after your father… yes, now THAT was a wand…" Ollivanders voice grew distant as he wandered to the back of the shop, searching for a box. Scorpius turned to his father.

"Who's Harry Potter?" he asked curiously. Draco moistened his lips.

"Nobody you need to worry about. Just an Auror that helped me with some Ministry work once."

Ollivander emerged from his web of boxes, holding one out to Scorpius.

"Here, try this wand," Ollivander offered. "Just give her a little wave!"

Scorpius picked it up instantly and gave it a dramatic flourish. The tip immediately burst into flames, and Ollivander doused them with a cry of shock. Scorpius jumped back as the billowing smoke stung his eyes.

"No… definitely not that one," Ollivander hastily snatched the wand from Scorpius's hand. He produced a different wand; Scorpius picked it up gingerly this time. Nothing happened.

"Put a little spirit into it," Ollivander encouraged doubtfully. Scorpius waved it again, and a small puff of wind caused the candle on the front counter to flicker.

"No," Ollivander snatched the wand again. Wand after wand was rejected, until finally Ollivander returned with a smooth, obsidian black wand. Scorpius picked it up, and was immediately engulfed by warm, red light. Ollivander muttered in surprise and curiosity, but Scorpius wasn't listening.

"There you go Master Malfoy," Ollivander said to Scorpius, "Twelve inches, phoenix feather, hawthorn wood – like you father - …" Ollivander stopped and regarded Scorpius shrewdly. Scorpius struggled to keep his face cool as he locked eyes with the wand maker.

"Unyielding," Ollivander finished. "This wand could cast a nasty hex if you wanted it to, Master Malfoy. Very nasty indeed."

"Cool," was Scorpius's eleven year old response as he looked at his new wand, swishing it experimentally. Draco looked deep in thought.

"Mr Malfoy," Draco looked up to meet Ollivander's eternally piercing gaze. "I think you know who else had an unyielding wand, yes?"

Draco shook his head in confusing, his eyebrow twitching upward.

"Never mind, then. I'll be interested to see what your son does,"

"As will I," Draco returned stiffy. "As long as he's happy, I am."

Scorpius smiled.

Suddenly, the shop bell tinkled and another father and son entered. Scorpius gave them a customary glance before turning back to his precious new wand. Draco took out his purse and paid for the wand, before turning around to leave.

He stopped. Scorpius felt father grip his shoulder. He was staring at the two people that had just entered the shop. The man had round glasses and messy, jet black hair - the small boy beside him shared the man's brilliant green eyes. The man and his father both stiffened upon eye contact.

"Malfoy," the man said cautiously.

Draco glanced at Scorpius.

"Hello," was his frosty reply. Ollivander chose that moment to interrupt (probably to prevent his store from blowing up).

"Ah, Albus – are we here to get our wand?"

The skinny child nodded and gave a cute, childish beam. Scorpius repressed the impulse to gag. Ollivander guided Albus to the back of his shop, muttering about Merlin knows what.

"What are you doing here?" The man was speaking to his father again.

"Scorpius here just got his wand."

The grip on his shoulder had tightened.

The man's green eyes flashed with some strange emotion, and he was about to reply when he remembered there were children present.

"Surely Scorpius isn't going to Durmstrang?" was his reply instead.

Scorpius was offended – Durmstrang?! His father had told about there – it was the school Grandpa Lucius had wanted him to go to. Not that his parents did anything Grandpa Lucius wanted; they hadn't been in contact for a long time.

"Sir, I wouldn't go near that place. It's crawling with _pureblood fanatics_," Scorpius said, curling his lip. The man looked at him in open surprise.

"He's going to Hogwarts," Draco affirmed through tight lips.

CRASH – the sound came from the back of the shop where Ollivander and Albus were. Draco lip twitched upward.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have lots of shopping to do and I think your son needs you," Draco gestured for Scorpius to follow. Scorpius gave the mysterious man a final look – he was regarding him curiously – before opening the shop door with a tinkle. Someone else burst into the shop, colliding with Scorpius and falling to the ground. He swore loudly and Draco's eyes shot to the ceiling at the word. Scorpius laughed and held out his hand, silently helping him back onto his feet. The stranger gave him a thin smile.

"Teddy," he said, sticking out his hand. He looked no older than nineteen, with a deep voice and striking turquoise hair. Scorpius shook hands hesitantly.

"Sorry about bumping into you – I should have looked where I was going," Teddy apologised.

"S'ok. I'm Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy," he replied. Teddy's mouth twitched upward, betraying a smile. He was laughing at his name! Scorpius glared. It wasn't his fault he'd been given such a strange name.

"Think my name's funny, do you?" he snapped, instantly wishing he hadn't sounded so harsh. Teddy shrugged, but didn't reply.

"SCORPIUS!" his father yelled across the shop, impatiently gesturing for them to leave. Scorpius turned and left. The last thing he heard before he'd been engulfed by the icy cold of outside was the man with green eyes telling Teddy he 'had no idea what to make of the Malfoy boy'.

"Are we going for ice-cream now?" Scorpius asked eagerly. Draco smirked.

"You'd think it was a little too cold for ice-cream, wouldn't you?"

"It's never too cold for ice-cream," Scorpius re-assured his father.

"Well then, it will be faster if we Apparate," Father offered his arm. Scorpius took it and braced himself for the all-too familiar sensation of Side-Along Apparation. After the rather unpleasant feeling of being squeezed like a lemon, Scorpius and his father arrived at Florian Fortescue's.

Draco caught his breath and adjusted his robes before entering the shop. They had arrived before Mother and Cap. It was surprisingly empty for Florian's. Then again, it was snowing outside at the moment, so perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all. Scorpius was inspecting the immense range of flavours when in glided the rest of his family. Dipp and Pipp, their twin house elves, came in after them, arms bursting with groceries. When Scorpius was four, the two elves had come to Malfoy Manor looking for work, and the family had been all too happy to oblige.

"Well, did you get a wand? Or was there and accident, and you're really a Squib?" Capricorn sniggered, making Scorpius roll his eyes. Flicking out his wand, he whispered '_Flipendo'. _He'd been waiting for this moment for ages; practicing the jinx on his father's wand for hours until it was perfect.

Capricorn lurched backwards and sprawled on the floor in a decidedly undignified way.

"Mother!" Capricorn whined, rubbing his backside.

"I think you were the accident," Scorpius countered with an impish grin. Unfortunately for him, that was the moment Astoria had decided to join her son's conversation, and she was livid.

"Scorpius Malfoy, I am ashamed that my son is saying things like that," she hissed. "Really boys, sometimes this teasing goes too far. Just be kind to each other."

The brothers attempted to look repentant.

"Yes, Mother," they echoed in unison. Astoria spun to look directly at Scorpius.

"And you, young man. Using magic outside of Hogwarts like that… do you want to get expelled before you even arrive?!"

Draco came to his son's rescue with a smirk.

"Astoria, darling, seeing as Scorpius isn't eleven yet, the Ministry can't legally prosecute him for anything. No Underage Laws for him to worry about until he goes to Hogwarts in a month."

Scorpius grinned in anticipation – ah, good times were ahead. At that, he returned to perusing the ice-cream flavours. He was deciding between Chocolate Frog Decadence, Peppermint Frost and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean flavour when the shop door opened and three familiar figures entered. Scorpius smiled as two of his best friends entered.

"SCORPIUS!" one called, her voice echoing around the shop.

"MALFOY!" the other finished. It was the Vranovski twins, Holly and Koko. Even their mother swore they were identical, but Scorpius immediately identified who was who.

"Holly, Koko," he gave a dramatic bow. Their mother was a stickler for what she fondly referred to as 'old-fashioned manners' and what everybody born in the more recent three centuries referred to as 'pureblood customs that should have died when Merlin did'. That being said, one crossed Mrs Vranovski once and once only; she was a force to be reckoned with. It was still legend what had happened to her third husband, and that had been years ago.

And so, Scorpius bowed to the three of them.

"Ms. Vranovski, it's been too long," he said smoothly, offering his hand, which she disdainfully shook. Her hands were clammy and cold with sweat, and Scorpius surreptitiously wiped it on the back of his robes.

"I do hope the weather hasn't been too disagreeable for you," he said in a detached voice, trailing off into small talk. The twins watched in lazy amusement, whilst Scorpius tried to secretly signal to Astoria for help. The twins had dirty blonde hair, sharp, bony faces that they had inherited from their mother, piercing blue eyes and had, much to the dismay of Scorpius, grown a few inches taller than him since last time they'd met. Unlike their usual attire, they were wearing prim and proper lacy pink robes. They'd probably been forced to by their mother. The only surviving sign of their rebellious nature could be seen in the partially concealed Muggle converse shoes they wore – what had their mother said about that? Scorpius decided he didn't want to know. The twins appeared to be telepathically speaking. Probably plotting to steal something.

Scorpius realised that he had been making small talk with Ms Vranovski that whole time, yet remembered nothing of what he had said.

"Ah, Sapphire, I missed you at the ball last week!" his mother had mercifully come to his rescue, and Scorpius immediately stole away with the twins.

"You guys getting ice-cream?" he asked.

"No!" said Koko sarcastically.

"We just came to have a chat with any Gryffindor's that came by," Holly snorted. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"What flavours are you getting?" Scorpius said casually, fishing for ideas.

"What are _you_ getting?" was the twin's simultaneous reply.

"Uh… Peppermint Frost… and… Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean," Scorpius decided, loud enough for his father to hear. Draco gave a slight nod and took out his purse.

"Ma, I'd like an Elderberry Burst and Chocolate Frog Decadence please!" Koko called.

"Same!" called Holly. The three of them sat at one of the tables, and Draco arrived with Scorpius's ice-cream. Capricorn had elected to sit with the adults. Well, good on him, Scorpius thought moodily. Draco arrived with his ice-cream.

"Thanks, Father!" Scorpius picked up his spoon and ate a generous scoop of Bertie Bott's. A dangerous move. He moved the ice-cream experimentally around his mouth, keenly aware of the twins watching in amusement, a slightly predatory glint in their eyes. They'd obviously had this experience before. He tasted lime jelly, oyster sauce, grass and other things he didn't really want to think about. Not a very good combination. He forced himself to keep his face deadpan – refusing to spit it out.

Ms Vranovski approached with the twin's ice-creams, which they dug into with relish, making it very obvious how utterly delicious their ice-creams were.

"Mmm…" they teased, smirking at him. Dammit. Scorpius tried to salvage some of the peppermint that hadn't been touching the Bertie Bott's – he wasn't brave enough to tempt fate with another mouthful. Capricorn approached with his marzipan fondant ice-cream (which Scorpius found disgustingly saccharine). Oh, so now he decides to join the 'kids table', huh?

"Scorpius, we have to go soon," Capricorn said in a pompous voice. The table was tangibly silent until he left – Cap had that effect on people.

"So, what houses do you think you'll be sorted into?" Holly asked, putting her spoon in her empty cup. How did she eat so fast?

"Slytherin, obviously," Scorpius was surprised she'd even asked. "You guys?"

"Slytherin," the twins said in unison.

"I mean, what other options are there?" Holly said.

"Hufflepuff – no thanks," Scorpius snorted.

"Yeah… who wants to be in the leftover house?" Koko agreed.

"And then there's Ravenclaw," Holly smirked. "As much as I'd _love _to be a nerd with no social status, I think I'll give it a pass."

"Yeah, and Gryffindor? Not only would mother disinherit, and then murder me, but who wants to be on the losing side of Quidditch?" Koko laughed mirthlessly.

"Yeah, ever since Potter and all of the Weasley's left, Gryffindor has hardly won a single match," Holly rolled her eyes. "Gryffindor peasants."

Scorpius felt his stomach give a little lurch. There was that name again. Potter. He felt like he was being left out of some huge inside joke.

"Yeah, who was Potter again?" Scorpius hoped to casually drop in the question. That hope was immediately shattered. Koko chocked on her remaining ice-cream, and Holly just stared at him as if he'd grown an extra nose or something, wordlessly shaking her head.

"Merlin, you're a sheltered child," Holly said, still shaking her head.

"Has your father seriously never told you?" Koko had recovered from her near death from ice-cream experience. Scorpius shrugged like he didn't really care.

"Oh, a bit here and there," he lied. Holly and Koko looked at each other and began sputtering titbits of information.

"He's the Boy Who Lived!"

"He went to school with your father."

"He killed You-Know-Who!"

"Haven't you even gotten his chocolate frog card before?" the twins said incredulously. He had a chocolate frog card?

"No, it's one I've been wanting for my collection," Scorpius looked sideways.

"Right," Koko sounded unconvinced.

"Look, I got one today. Harry Potter – just read it," Holly offered the cards towards Scorpius. He snatched at it greedily, curiosity burning within him.

"Harry Potter," he read aloud. "Mr Potter, also known as the Boy Who Lived due to being the only known person in history to survive the Killing Curse, became famous after his first defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in 1981. Although his most well-known achievement was the defeat of You-Know-Who in 1998, some of Mr Potter's lesser known achievements include being the youngest ever competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, uncovering the long-forgotten Chamber of Secrets, being a fluent Parseltongue and becoming the youngest Seeker Hogwarts had seen in over a century. In more recent years he had revolutionised the Ministry, particularly in the Auror department, and is the youngest Head Auror to be appointed by the Ministry. Potter is married to Ginerva Weasley, and currently has three children: James, Albus and Lily."

That was the longest chocolate frog card Scorpius had ever read. He moistened his lips as he saw the picture on the card; realisation crashed down on him in waves. The picture was of a wiry man with messy black hair, electric eyes and a very curious scar. It was the man from the shop. _Potter… currently has three children: James, Albus and Lily. _Albus.

"Oh!" was all Scorpius said. "I think… I think I met him today at Ollivanders."

The expression on the twin's face was utterly priceless.

_That's it! Please review and let me know what you think… could this story go places? You are what inspire me to keep going xx_


	2. The Hogwarts Express

_Hello again, thank-you all for reviewing – I was amazed at the response! Thank you all so much, reviews seriously make my day _

_I also have one thing to mention: when picturing what these kids look like, please don't picture the ones from the movie – especially Albus. In the book Albus has black hair like his father, and is said to resemble him very much, unlike the brown-haired movie version. Similarly, characters such as Rose have been significantly altered. _

_Now, to the bit you actually read…_

_Disclaimer: This site is called FANfiction, it's obviously written by fans._

Chapter 2: The Hogwarts Express

Scorpius Malfoy awoke on the morning of September 1st with a strange feeling of anticipation in his stomach – the sensation one gets when it's Christmas, or your birthday, and it takes you a moment to realise.

Blinking owlishly as daylight trickled through his window, it came back to him all at once. Today was his first day at Hogwarts!

He leapt out of bed, silky pyjamas fluttering from the sudden movement as he hastily unbuttoned them, throwing on a robe and stuffing his pyjamas under his pillow. Dipp and Pipp, two of his family's house elves, came into his room.

"Hello Scorpius!" they said, ears flapping in excitement. "Dipp and Pipp is going to be missing Scorpius when you is at Hogwarts!"

Scorpius was the only Malfoy who wasn't referred to as 'Master' or 'Mistress' by the house elves, something he was secretly proud of. Becoming friends with the house elves had been the best thing Scorpius had ever done. Not only did they tell him about the thousands of passageways riddling Malfoy Manor, but they were the perfect pranking partners in crime – they could slip things into food, break into rooms, mess with the laundry. As long as Draco hadn't specifically forbidden it, they could do it.

"I'm going to miss you guys too," Scorpius gave them a customary fist bump. He meant it, too. The elves had belonged to the Malfoys since he was four years old, and they were almost like strange siblings. A prick of nostalgia surprised him as he realised he wouldn't be waking up to the elves' fussing every morning.

"We made breakfast!" Dipp announced proudly.

"Scorpius will get too thin at Hogwarts," Pipp added uneasily. "We is having to fatten you up."

"We have bacon," was Dipp's cheerful interjection. Pipp's eyes lit up.

"Oh yes, and pancakes, and Scorpius's favourite topping…"

"And even waffles for Master Capricorn, sir." Dipp said with a nod. Scorpius smiled.

"Sounds excellent – thanks guys!" he said as he finished tying his robes. They both nodded enthusiastically before disappearing with a _pop_.

Scorpius walked down the five flights of stairs from his secluded bedroom (which happened to be the entire fifth floor), and strolled into the dining room. As he walked through the oak doors, he was greeted by the rest of his family, who had already arrived.

In the Malfoy home, the first day of school is very important every year. In fact, as neither of his parents had any particular religious inclination, the occasion was probably more important than Christmas. Education was everything, his father often repeated.

Scorpius had watched enviously for the past two years as Capricorn was showered with gifts and adoration as he prepared to leave for Hogwarts. This year, he was included in the celebration – to say he was ecstatic was an understatement.

The dining room was decorated the same way it was for every celebration. The traditional dark purple drapes had been substituted for brilliant Slytherin green ones. Their dining table was always covered with a tablecloth – something to do with mahogany being expensive – but today the tablecloth had been bewitched to look like a mysterious pool of water that rippled realistically. It was Scorpius's favourite. 'Floating' in the middle of the table was a generous amount of food, far more than a family of four purebloods with selective appetites could possible eat, as well as a couple of wrapped parcels. His stomach knotted with excitement – it was a Malfoy tradition for anybody leaving for the start of the Hogwarts year to be given a few farewell gifts.

"Hey!" he greeted his family. "This looks fantastic – thanks! You too, Dipp and Pipp."

Scorpius said the last part more quietly – he and his family had different opinions about the importance of house elves.

His father looked up from the morning edition of The Daily Prophet and gave a thin grimace, which Scorpius and the rest of the family generously interpreted as a smile. Capricorn clapped him on the back as he walked past him to sit in his chair, and Mother smiled at him, the skin in the corners of her eyes wrinkling.

"Well, now I've got two sons going to Hogwarts," she said happily.

"Mmm, maybe we'll finally get some quiet around the place," Draco muttered wryly from behind the newspaper. Scorpius, used to his father's humour, just snorted.

"I think you'll miss us terribly, Father," he replied with a wink as he sat down at the table. Draco raised a doubtful eyebrow and took a sip of coffee.

"Can we eat now?" Capricorn asked impatiently (his languid glances at the food had gone ignored). Draco glanced at Astoria for confirmation, and she nodded. Scorpius immediately sandwiched a few bacon rashers in between two slices of bread, drowning them in barbeque sauce before attacking it with relish. The rest of the family followed suit. The table was silent for a full minute as everybody ate.

In five substantial (his preferred adjective over 'disgustingly massive') bites, Scorpius's sandwich had disappeared and he was eyeing a distinctively shaped parcel on the table hopefully. His father caught his gaze and genuinely lit up, giving Scorpius a conspiratorial wink. Scorpius's heart fluttered, but he didn't let his hopes get too high.

"Wait until breakfast is finished," Astoria said with a slight purse of her lips. Scorpius bit his lip and nodded, piling more food onto his plate.

"Excited, Capp?" he asked. Capricorn shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sure, I mean, it's not as special after a few years," he said with an air of indifference. Scorpius surreptitiously rolled his eyes at his brothers forced sophistication.

"Bet you're excited to see Vivian Pratt," he needled, savouring the outraged look Cap shot him. If looks could kill…

Astoria and Draco simultaneously raised their heads in interest.

"Who's Vivian Pratt?" Astoria asked. Capricorn went beet red.

"Just a girl in my year," he muttered.

"Slytherin?" Draco asked.

"Ravenclaw," Capricorn couldn't conceal the flash of alarm that flickered in his eyes. Draco weighed the concept in his head.

"I suppose that isn't too bad," he decided. "But Cap I warn you… if I find I'm to be a premature grandfather…" he let the threat hang empty in the air as Capricorn choked.

"Father!" he spluttered in indignation. "Just… no! Yuck!"

Draco smirked.

"I don't know… from what his letters say, they can't wait to be alone on the Astronomy tower again," Scorpius snickered.

He ducked in time to miss the lazy blow Cap had aimed at him, but couldn't escape as his brother began ruffling his hair none too gently - Astoria decided it was a good time to intervene with presents.

Draco – who had nearly spat his coffee – decided to leave Scorpius blissfully unaware of the common uses for the Astronomy tower, and agreed with his wife.

"Boys, here are a few gifts for the start of the school year," she said, gesturing to the packages. Scorpius didn't need any further invitation. Moving away from the fuming Capricorn, he reached for the package he'd been eyeing earlier, praying to Merlin it was for him. It was.

As soon as he'd seen the packaging, he'd known it was either a broom or a very cruel joke. Carefully unwrapping the paper, he gasped in delight at what he saw. Lying in the torn wrapping was the fastest broom in the world; the coveted Eclipse 300. It was beautiful.

Running his hands over the flawless handle, he could barely stop himself from drooling.

"Thank you so much Mother and Father," he said in a hushed tone of reverence, itching to go outside and ride her.

"That's okay, son. Hopefully you can make the team this year," Draco encouraged. Scorpius remembered the notice that had arrived with his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

"_To Mr Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, Fourth Largest Room (Attic), Malfoy Manor_

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Elliot Frostier _

_(Previous Head Auror for Ministry of Magic, Order of Merlin, Second Class, Member of Local Confederation of Wizards (United Kingdom delegation))_

_Dear Mr Malfoy,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed the list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1__st__ September. We await your owl no later than 31 July. _

_**As well as this, we are pleased to release a special announcement. For the first time in Hogwarts history, First Years will be allowed brooms and are permitted to try out for their respective House Quidditch teams. All grave injuries will not be considered the fault of the school; as such, if parents have concerns about their child flying, please owl either myself or the Headmaster.**_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Madeline Ermengarde Dufflepud_

_Deputy Headmistress"_

Scorpius fully intended to try out for the Slytherin team – with his Eclipse 300, he would be unstoppable! Father had been especially pleased at the news, as Capricorn and Astoria shared neither his passion nor skill for Quidditch – he needed at least one of his sons to metaphorically carry the torch.

"Father! You've never given _me_ a racing broom!" Capricorn complained with a sour expression.

"Son, I didn't know you flew," Draco said in mock surprise. "Come now, it isn't like we deprive you of gifts."

Astoria gave a snort. Seeing as Capricorn had received an assortment of extremely expensive presents – including the promise for him and a few friends to spend the Christmas holidays in one of the Malfoy estates in France, for crying out loud – she felt it laughable that he would feel justified in making any complaint.

As well as the Eclipse, Scorpius had received a book called 'Unusual Tricks and Curses' by Stromae Sharp and (once he'd reached the privacy of his room) a hand-stitched broom polisher from Dipp and Pipp. He placed the book next to one of his favourites, Common and Olde Hexes for Underage Wizards and Witches (the book wasn't entirely legal) in his trunk and closed it with a click.

Looking around his room, he felt a little foolish for saying goodbye to it before closing the door. How little he realised that the next time he entered this room, things would be so different.

.:. RTH .:.

If anyone had paid attention to four particular figures as they made their way through Kings Cross Station, they would have noticed something distinctly odd about them. It wasn't their cloaks, which billowed formidably behind them, or that they had _owls _of all things perched on their shoulders, or that although the youngest couldn't be older than eleven, they all carried themselves with an aristocratic grace that radiated superiority. No, it was the fact that as they briskly walked towards the barrier between platform nine and ten, they disappeared. One moment they were there, and they next they were gone.

If you weren't a Muggle, however, you would have understood.

Scorpius energetically pushed his trolley through the barrier, excitement coursing through him. He looked up to see a spry of steam erupt from a red train engine – The Hogwarts Express! He was finally going to Hogwarts! Apprehensions threatened to surface, but he quashed them and resolutely waked with his family through the crowded station.

"Capricorn Atlas Malfoy, get back here!" Astoria reined in her son, who had been about to slip into the crowd to join his friends. "How could you think of leaving without saying goodbye to us?" she demanded good-naturedly, tousling his hair and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Draco and Scorpius watched as Capricorn protested under his mother's ministrations, chuckling.

But Scorpius had more on his mind than farewells and common first-year trepidation. As his grey eyes scanned the train station, he wasn't taking in the scenery. He was searching for someone – the mysterious Harry Potter.

If what he'd seen in Ollivanders was right, his son Albus would be in his year. Scorpius had yet to bring up the incident in the wand shop to his father – it had appeared to disconcert father for the rest of the week, and both of the Malfoy boys knew better than to be on the wrong side of Draco Malfoy's temper. But, his short conversation with the Vranovski twins had confirmed that there was more to this green eyed Auror than he had been told. Deliriously famous, yet Father seemed to _hate _the man. It was simply too delicious a mystery for Scorpius to pass up.

He snapped back into focus as Capricorn began teasing him.

"You're going to be the first Malfoy in history to be sorted into Gryffindor, I can see it," he said – probably attempting to pay him back for the comment about Vivian Pratt at breakfast.

"Shut up," Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Father, Cap is bullying me!" he grinned impishly as his brother glared.

"Cap, don't tease," Draco chided mildly. "I'm sure your brother will be fine. Now boys, remember you can always write home to us – Scorpius, you'll have to use Darius, obviously."

Darius was Capricorn's owl – a grey, sleepy thing who had black rims around his eyes that looked like odd spectacles.

"We will," they promised, and at that Capricorn gave a few hasty final farewells before joining his friends.

Scorpius didn't mind. He was only a scared first-year who had been abandoned by the brother that had promised to look after him at Hogwarts. No, it was fine if he left to play with his friends. He didn't mind, really – probably better off without the prat anyway. Friends were higher priority than your own flesh and blood.

Mother had also left and was currently chattering with a group of high-society ladies (most likely exchanging idle gossip, knowing Mother).

A prickle along the back of his neck made Scorpius feel as though somebody was watching him. He turned to see the green eyes of Harry Potter regarding him curiously.

Father's grip automatically went to his son's shoulder, and he gave a chilly nod in the direction of the man. To Scorpius's relief, Potter returned to his children. Those eyes had looked friendly, but there had been something deeper.

"That was the man from the shop, Father," he fished.

"Yes. Yes, it was – I'd hoped you'd forgotten about that," Draco said distractedly. "Be careful, son. Try to forget about Potter." Far from sating his curiosity, it only deepened the mystery. Scorpius pretended he hadn't noticed his father had slipped out the man's name. "I know his son Albus is in your year – I'd try not to make an enemy of him. Then again, I also wouldn't advise being too friendly. That whole family is as Gryffindor as they come – no sense of tact or self-preservation."

Scorpius understood what his father was trying to say. In the delicate dialect of purebloods, Draco's direct assessment of Albus Potter was the equivalent of his father yelling at the top of his lungs – STAY AWAY FROM THE BOY!

"I understand, Father," Scorpius inclined his blond head. Draco nodded and adjusted his collar.

"I'll miss you," he said, before giving his son a sly smile. Scorpius felt his father stuff a small package into the package of his robes.

"What…?"

"Shh. Open it alone, in your dorm." Draco gave Scorpius a final squeeze, and Astoria re-joined them from where she had been gossiping.

After much patting and sniffling and many exclamations that his mother was 'feeling practically ancient with her youngest going to Hogwarts', Scorpius managed to prise himself from his mother's embrace, hoping she couldn't feel how quickly his heart was thudding. He caught sight of Mrs Vranovski, standing aloof from the crowd as usual, and assumed Holly and Koko were on board. With a deep breath and a final pat of encouragement from his father, he marched up to the train and handed his ticket to the conductor, who clipped it and let him on.

With a heave of his trunk, Scorpius Malfoy was on board the Hogwarts Express. He scanned his eyes across the full compartments, feeling slightly lost. This dissolved when he heard a shout.

"Scorpius!" Holly – or was it Koko? – was gesturing for him to join them in one of the middle compartments. It was Holly, Scorpius decided as he drew closer.

He slid open the door and took a seat.

"Hey guys!" he noticed it wasn't just the twins. Silas and Graham, another two of Scorpius's pureblood acquaintances, were sprawled on the chairs.

"Nice owl," Scorpius gestured to the tiger-striped owl on Silas's shoulder.

"Thanks," he replied, playing with a lock of black hair. Silas was tall for his age, with tanned Italian skin and shockingly purple eyes. "Da found him in a shop near our villa in Romania, and we both loved him. Name's Druid."

"I like it," Graham said, sneezing and quickly chewing a pill. Everyone in the compartment knew he suffered from an unfortunate owl allergy – meaning he had to take Patina Poppy's Multi-Purpose Allergy Pills to stop his uncontrollable sneezing.

The twins asked Silas how Romania had been – he began explaining how fantastic the Black Sea coastlines were – whilst Scorpius and Graham began an intense conversation about Quidditch.

They had been animatedly discussing the difference between and respective effectiveness of the Wronski Feint and the Plumpton Pass when the other three joined in. Soon there were three sides – Scorpius and Koko valiantly defending the Wronski Feint, Holly and Graham who kept insisting that at least the Plumpton Pass actually resulted in catching the Snitch and a solitary Silas who kept insisting both moves were irrelevant because the Seeker doesn't even play for most of the game.

This notion was berated by the other four debaters, and Silas didn't bother trying to contribute again.

The train hadn't even set off yet, and they were already in a passionate, Quidditch fuelled argument. Silas, who had been watching other students rush on through the glass in the door, suddenly gave a low whistle and nudged Graham.

"Look – now that's what I call a good-looking girl."

The girl in question was a red-headed witch who, by the way she was looking unsurely around the train corridors, was most likely a fellow first-year. A light spray of freckles dotted her high cheekbones, but instead of making her plain simply added to her uncommonly pretty face. Not Scorpius's type, but pretty.

Graham was quick on the uptake, seamlessly moving between the role of blood-thirsty Quidditch fanatic and pure-blooded gentleman. The group watched in amusement as he walked towards her, running his fingers through his brown hair.

"Hi there – what's your name?" he asked in what he probably thought was a casual yet manly tone.

"Rose," she said distractedly, her eyes flickering around as if she was expecting someone.

"First-year?" he said hopefully.

She nodded.

"Me too! My friends and I were just wondering if…"

His question was cut short by the arrival of another boy. Scorpius froze in his seat as he recognised the black haired boy with the broom slung over his shoulder. Albus Potter.

"Hey Rose," he said casually, initially oblivious to the second boy's presence. "Ready to find a compartment?"

"Actually," Graham said, "I was just inviting Rose to come sit with my group. You can join too, if you want?" Graham looked like the last thing he wanted was this black-haired girl-snatcher sitting with them.

Albus shrugged.

"Okay, if you're fine with that Rose?"

"Yeah," she said. Albus looked at the boy, poised to ask the defining question that would most likely decide whether or not he would like him.

"So… what Quidditch team do you support?"

Graham's eyes lit up. "The Holyhead Harpies aren't bad, but definitely the Tutshill Tornadoes. They hold the record for winning the League Cup five times in a row _and _they have the fastest ever recorded win in a League Match!"

Rose joined in.

"Yeah the Tornadoes aren't too bad, but my dad reckons that everybody only started liking them after they started winning."

"I think that's the basic point isn't it?" Graham snickered. "To pick the winning team?"

Rose merely shrugged.

"My mum played for the Holyhead Harpies, so most of my family supports them," Albus said nonchalantly.

"What?!" Graham said, impressed. He opened the carriage door and gestured for the two to come in. All three sat down, and the rest of the carriage pretended they hadn't been listening in to the conversation. "That's wicked!"

"I'm Rose – this is Albus," Scorpius watched as the aptly named witch introduced herself, and felt a sudden shiver of apprehension. If he knew who Albus was, would Albus…

No, that was impossible – the Malfoys were powerful, but not necessarily that famous.

Then why had Rose suddenly pointed at him and started muttering to Albus?

"I'm Graham Bane – those two are Holly and Koko Vranovski (don't even ask me to try and tell you which is which), that loser is Silas Macintyre, and in the corner we have…"

"Scorpius Malfoy," Albus took the words out of Graham's mouth, a strange expression on his face. Everybody exchanged looks of surprise.

"Have you met?" Holly asked, looking at Albus as if she was trying to remember where she had seen him before.

"No," Albus said, exactly at the same time that Scorpius had said "Briefly."

They exchanged curious glances.

"Ollivanders, remember?" Scorpius said, watching his green eyes widen in realisation.

"Oh," was all he said, but there seemed to be a few deeper layers of that story.

Except for Graham, who had obvious interest in a certain Rose and Scorpius who was desperate to unravel the mystery of Harry Potter, the carriage had little interest in the newcomers. Fragments of separate conversations began to trickle around to compartment, confusing Scorpius. He thought Holly and Koko told him this boy's father was famous! Why weren't they paying more attention?

Oh.

"You didn't tell us your last name," Scorpius said. Albus shrugged.

"Honestly, I just want to be Albus."

Scorpius could relate, but couldn't resist seeing what the other's reactions would be to famous Albus Potter and his pretty friend Rose.

The train gave a lurch, startling everybody on board. Silas heard Albus and immediately snapped up his defences.

"Pureblood, Half-blood or Mu-ggle born?" he said suspiciously.

"Silas you know all of that is a load of centaur dung," Scorpius groaned. Silas merely raised a questioning eyebrow at Albus and Rose, expecting a response.

"Pureblood," Albus said. "I'm not inbred, though – thank Merlin. My Dad's a Half-blood, see." Silas gave a curt nod and turned to Rose.

"I don't see what this has to do with anything," she glared. "But if it makes things better for you, I'm a…" she paused suddenly and looked at Albus. "I've never really thought about it, but Mum's a witch and Dad's a wizard… how does it make sense that I'm a Half-blood?"

The response to that question wasn't offered by anybody, given present company. Scorpius cursed Silas for bringing up a controversial topic – it was no way to make friends on the first day. Gralaus obviously agreed, and they were almost as in-sync as the twins as they steered to conversation away from dangerous waters – although in Gralaus's case he was more interested in steering it towards a certain witch in the compartment.

"For a pureblood, you've missed a basic," Scorpius had often been told that his smirk resembled his father's. "Not introducing yourself with your last name… my father says nobody does that unless they're ashamed."

Relishing the look on Albus's face, he couldn't help but casually add, "For those of you who didn't know, his full name is Albus Potter."

Something instantly clicked between four purebloods. There was a moment of silence that was the calm before the storm.

"Potter? As in Harry Potter's son?!"

"THE Harry Potter?!"

"My father told me to stay away from his kind," Silas muttered under his breath to Scorpius.

"Mine did too," Scorpius affirmed. "It was Graham who wanted that witch here."

Rose noticed Albus was getting increasingly uncomfortable and flustered and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She knew how much he hated being the son of the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. For three words, the cast a pretty long shadow that was hard to crawl out from behind.

Holly and Koko had been silent, almost pensive, which alone was a considerable feat for the two normally hyperactive girls. Their mother, despite not being a part of elite Death Eater circles, had most certainly not lived on what many would consider the 'light' walk of life. It was well-known in the Vranovski household that Mrs Vranovski had despised the meddling of the likes of Albus Dumbledore in some of her 'habits', and she had been perfectly clear that 'fraternizing with some of the sodding Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors' would result in immediate disinheritance…

Well, it would suffice to say their feelings regarding this boy were incredibly complicated.

Unsure quite how to react to this news, everybody slowly drifted into sluggish small-talk until, finally, the towers of Hogwarts could be seen nearing the windows.

"I think this year is going to be very interesting," Silas's voice broke the quiet mood.

Nobody argued.

.:. RTH .:.

Rotting in a dark cell in Azkaban, a skeleton of a man groaned, covered in a sheen of sweat as he was forced to relive one of the worst – and best – memories of his life.

'_It was finally over. With a gasp, he left the world, with Lily's eyes being the last thing he saw. Not being a religious man, Severus Snape had never really contemplated death. Now, as he stood in this hazy, white void, he wondered what was going to happen. As everything became more material, it appeared that he was standing in a garden. A solitary swing set dangled next to him, and it felt like Nagini had stabbed him all over again. This was the garden of his childhood, where he and Lily had played for so many hours. Lily. _

_Severus looked up and saw a red-headed witch coming towards him. His heart leapt. He had spent so long waiting, praying to see her again. Finally, after all of the spying and lying and being manipulated by both sides – Dumbledore and Voldemort – here was some peace, where he could finally be the person he had always dreamed of being. That hope was shattered as he saw the expression on his love's face. She was glaring daggers at him. _

_She approached. His heart hammered. The usually articulate man was lost for words. _

"_MY SON, SEVERUS! YOU DARED TO TREAT MY SON LIKE THAT!"_ _she slapped him on the face, burning with righteous fury._

_He winced – not from the slap, he was used to pain, but from the words. Not even Lily loved him anymore. Even in death, Severus would be eternally alone. He was in shock. _

"_Lily… I…" he choked. _

"_No, Snape." He flinched at the use of his last name. "Do you know what you were? A bully. Nothing but a bully. At least James grew out of it."_

_Severus was white, every nerve in his body shaking as if he'd been held under the Cruciatus Curse. This pain, however, was much worse. _

"_You. Don't. Understand," he spat, resorting to his old defences. "Do you think I could be a friendly person with the children of bloody Death Eaters at the school? If I had even been fair – heaven forbid nice – to the Boy Who lived and every other sodding Gryffindor and Hufflepuff that traipsed trough my classes, don't you think eyebrows would have been raised? Yes, Harry looks like a carbon copy of James. Yes, I regret how I acted. But Lily, I didn't know how else to react! My father…"_

"_Yes Severus, I know all about you childhood. We were friends, you know?" Lily said sadly. "You need to stop making excuses! Neville Longbottom, poor lad, had his parents BRUTALLY TORTURED INTO INSANITY by Bellatrix. Yet when asked who he feared the most in the world, do you know who he said?"_

_Severus could feel his blood freezing as he tried to ignore how much he just wanted to hug Lily and never let go. He knew what the answer was._

"_Me. I was his boggart," Snape could barely whisper. _

"_Why would that be, Snape? You took this Death Eater act to a whole new level – except I'm not so sure it was an act. I know life has never been kind to you, but you could have been so much more, Severus. This is all your own doing. You push people away – push and push!"_

_He had never wanted to push Lily away, and he voiced that thought. Please, he couldn't spend whatever eternity death was alone. He should probably be used to it, he thought bitterly to himself. Lily continued her tirade; it seemed she had been waiting for years to do this._

"_Snape, if you truly loved me you would have been kind to my son. Even, no, especially in his first years at Hogwarts. He had been living with Vernon and Petunia Dursley for the past eleven years – I would have thought you of all people would understand what it was liked to come from an abusive home." Tears were glistening in Lily's eyes and her breathing became shallow as she tried to suppress her sobs. _

_This was truly news for Snape and his mouth went dry as he realised the ramifications of what Lily was telling him. Potter had come from an abusive family. God, and what had he done?! Called him Prince Potter, bullied the lad from every aspect he could…_

_Severus Snape may be a vicious teacher and an ex-Death Eater, but he did not tolerate child abuse. He was reacquainted with an emotion he hadn't felt for a long time. Burning shame. _

"_I didn't realise," was all he could say. _

_Lily didn't seem to accept that excuse. Her green eyes, normally so warm and loving, were cold. _

"_It wouldn't have mattered, though. Even if Harry wasn't treated worse than the house elf of a dark wizard," Snape winced at the analogy, "I'm sure you still could have found it within yourself to not mercilessly antagonise him."_

_The conversation wore on – and the further it went the more Snape's hope wore thin. Yes, he truly was a despicable man, and he wished there was some void he could fall into that would consume him forever. _

_He started as he felt something touch his shoulder._

"_Severus, I don't think many of the things you've done are okay. I was disgusted to see how many of our actions were deferred as expressions of love for me. I love James, Severus. He didn't put me under a love potion or the Imperious for us to get married – we fell in love. I know this is very hard to accept, but…" she bit her lip, unsure how to express this in the gentlest way possible. _

"_I'm sure you've noticed your Patronus is the same as mine."_

_Severus nodded – how could he not have!_

"_James's Patronus is a stag. Mine's a doe. It's a perfect match. On the other hand, yours turned into a doe after I died. Exactly the same as mine. There's a difference, Severus, between love and infatuation."_

_She tried to let this sink in. Snape's face crumpled in realisation._

"_I've been a fool." He was tempted to sit on the swing, but he hadn't stooped to that level yet. _

_Lily agreed. _

"_You know, Severus, I haven't just come here to dig up your sins."_

_Snape attempted to quash the absurd flutter of hope that obstinately rose in his heart._

"_No?" he managed.' _

The Dementor seemed to sense that this memory had turned into one of hope, and the memory dissolved.

The prisoner writhed on the floor of his cell, trying to succumb to the mercies of unconsciousness, but his brain wouldn't leave him alone. Needles of pain arched through his mind as he tried to grasp even one clue from the rapidly fading vision.

There had been something in that memory… a woman. Maybe she was from his past? He desperately tried to piece together what had happened. The rest of that memory disappeared as the Dementor retreated, and the only sound that could be heard were the sobs of a broken man.

Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He could remember a tiny piece of the memory.

His name. His name was Severus Snape. That was a start, wasn't it?

He clung onto those two words desperately. He could almost have sworn he'd died just before that memory… no. That was impossible. Who was Severus Snape, that he could cheat death?

**Reviews are very much appreciated, I want this story to be the best it can be. Thank you again for those who have already shown support, and I tried waiting every morning for the right time to post (I'm in Australia, and most of my readers are American), but eventually I gave up. **


	3. A Thinking Cap

Chapter 3: A Thinking Cap

As expected in early September, the warm weather, combined with the sleepy dusk of the disappearing sun, provided a striking scene for the Hogwarts students to arrive to. Little flowers dotted the grass, and swayed carelessly in the evening breeze. The clouds had captured some of the last deep orange rays of sun and were flushed in rich hues. The stunning scenery, however, hardly reflected the charged atmosphere amongst the students disembarking the Hogwarts Express.

Albus helped Rose down from the high step, and they walked together soaking up their first proper glimpse of Hogwarts. The castle stood, all of its windows illuminated, its reflection rippling in the glassy lake in front of them. Even the richest purebloods were impressed.

Hagrid, whose bushy beard was streaked with grey, began his routine of ushering the first years towards the boats.

'Firs' years, over here!' he bellowed, his eyes surrounded by a wreath of wrinkles. Albus followed immediately.

"Hagrid!" Rose called to the massive man, debating whether it was alright to hug a professor. Hagrid's face lit up in a huge beam as he saw the two.

"Albus, Rose, how are yeh?" he clapped them both solidly on the back (both disguised their yelps as a sudden coughing fit).

"Great Hagrid!" Albus said. Hagrid smiled and turned his attention to a nervous looking girl, who said her name was Malory.

"I suppose you would be friends with the half giant," Silas had appeared behind them and had a decisively nasty sneer on his face. Rose glared at him.

"So what if we are?" she snapped.

Silas proved he was eleven and simply rolled his eyes as if he knew something she didn't. Albus returned the gesture, hostility subtly mounting.

"Silas, shove off," Graham elbowed his friend.

Silas looked ready to argue, but didn't say anything as Graham steered him away.

"I'm going to keep my eye on him," Rose muttered to the retreating back of Silas. Albus agreed, and her attention turned towards the other boy that had shared their compartment and was now joking with the twin girls.

To Rose, meeting Scorpius Malfoy had been quite the anticlimax.

After everything her father had said, he seemed perfectly normal. No Dark Mark. No menagerie of pet snakes. He didn't look like he had an entire bottle of gel in his hair – actually, she doubted he had any in at all. He had been distant, but not hostile. She supposed she had been the same.

She was still planning to beat him in every class, though.

"How did Scorpius know you?" she murmured to Albus.

He gave a cocky grin, his eyes flashing.

"I'm horribly famous," he said, and Rose rolled her eyes to heaven. "No, honestly, we only made eye contact when I went to Ollivanders. That was it. He crashed into Teddy, too - it was pretty funny, really."

"Oh. Okay."

"Four to a boat!" Hagrid called, giving Rose a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before moving on. "Firs' years, come along! Only four to a boat… didn't you hear?"

The last comment was directed at Scorpius, Silas, Graham and the Ellem twins, who had tried to slip five onto a boat. They exchanged apprehensive glances before the twins nobly left together, leaving the boys with a freckled girl named Malory. She looked green at the thought of riding on a boat, and she was ignored the entire trip.

Albus stepped into one of the boats, extending his hand to help Rose in. A smile tugged at the edge of her mouth as she stepped into the boat and sat down, feeling it rock underneath her.

The Ellem twins scanned the boats looking for one with two places left – there were two options; a rather large, bewildered looking boy sitting by himself and Albus and Rose. They chose the latter and silently sat opposite them. The boats skimmed across the water, closer and closer to Hogwarts. Rose squirmed in anticipation – she had spent eleven years waiting to come here!

Despite many dramatic and fearsome tales from James, Albus was just as excited (albeit anxious), and he gave Rose's hand a little squeeze, just like he' done with James when they were younger.

"What house do you think you'll get?" Rose asked the twins. They smirked as if that wasn't even a question.

"Slytherin" – their reply was almost in unison.

"Oh."

"What about you?" Holly asked, twirling her ponytail. Albus shrugged.

"Gryffindor, probably," Rose said lightly. All the Weasley's were in Gryffindor.

"Albus?" Koko asked.

"I don't really care. Any of them would be good, but all of my family are Gryffindors… James – my brother – teases me that I'll get Slytherin, but I don't think he really means it."

The twins bristled slightly.

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Holly asked sweetly. The air grew slightly acidic.

"I said I didn't care what house I was in," Albus lied. The rest of the journey passed silently.

/ RTH /

As they were ushered into the Great Hall, Albus, feeling as though thousands of eyes were staring at him, shrank slightly. He barely heard as 'Astaire, Phoebe' was sorted into Hufflepuff, although he did notice that Graham Bane become a Slytherin.

Soon, (after 'Lennon, Jack' was sorted into Ravenclaw), it was Silas's turn. He winked at Graham to tell him he would be joining him soon at the Slytherin table before swaggering up to the Sorting Hat. After a few moments, Silas face become panicked. His eyes widened seconds before the hat shouted "Gryffindor!"

Rose snorted at the exclamations of horror coming from his friends.

Malfoy came straight after Macintyre, and Scorpius approached the hat tentatively.

As he placed it on his head, a voice came into his head.

"_Ah, what do we have here?" the hat chuckled. "My, what a puzzle you are."_

"_I think my house is obvious," Scorpius thought, panicking. "Slytherin – I'm a Slytherin."_

"_Hmm… you certainly do have a fair part of Salazar in you. Your thirst to succeed is unquenchable – but so is your thirst for knowledge."_

"_Merlin, not Ravenclaw," Scorpius said apprehensively, the phrase 'nerds with no social status' coming to mind. _

"_I wouldn't be so quick to judge the Ravenclaws," the Hat warned humourlessly. "But no, you're right – you don't learn for the sake of knowledge. You learn to achieve the means to an end."_

"_That would make me a Slytherin," Scorpius said confidently. The 'I suppose' that came from the Hat was far less confident. _

"_Loath as you are to admit it, you'd make a fantastic Gryffindor," the hat offered. "Your will is very strong – if you think something is wrong, you will fight tooth and nail for it. And you're brave."_

"_No I'm not," Scorpius said quietly. _

"_Scorpius, you weren't to blame for what happened then," the Hat said gently. _

"_You can see into MY MEMORIES?!" Scorpius thought furiously. "What are you?"_

"_Oh that's far too complicated a question. Tonight we'll stick to one question and one alone. What house to put you in?"_

"_Just put me in Slytherin and be done with it," Scorpius snapped. "I'm not brave or chivalrous. Besides, have you ever heard of a Gryffindor that plays pranks?"_

_The Hat actually laughed – it was a strange, muffled sound. _

"_Oh my, you haven't met many Gryffindors, have you? Well, I think we can safely rule out Hufflepuff, you're hardly worthy."_

_Scorpius was indignant! Not worthy to be in Hufflepuff! What a joke. _

"_I still say you'd make a great Gryffindor," the Hat said, making deliberate emphasis on the word 'great'. _

_Scorpius would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted. _

"_And, I can promise, in Gryffindor you will be only Scorpius. No Malfoy attached._

"_Bloody great chance of that with Silas in my year," Scorpius retorted. _

"_If you're put into Slytherin, you can still do many wonderful things, but… you'll have to be more careful. More than one person wants to paint you with the brush of your father."_

"_I don't care – my father is a great man. Make me Slytherin."_

"_Alas, if that is what you so desperately crave, better be…"_

"Slytherin!" the hat called aloud, generating polite applause from the students. Gralaus gave a little whoop, and Scorpius shakily walked to his table. That had been far too close for comfort. As well, it had planted a small seed of doubt he hadn't known existed. Would he have made a better Gryffindor?

He guessed he'd never find out, now.

'Oat, Helga,' was made a Hufflepuff, and then it was Albus's turn.

_As soon as the hat had touched his head, he began furiously repeating a single mantra._

"_Not Slytherin… not Slytherin…"_

"_My, Mr Potter, what a biased opinion. Let me have a look at you before we bargain," was the Hat's acerbic reply. Albus was a little surprised. _

"_I do seem to remember your father having a similar aversion to the snakes," the Hat put in more gently. "And that hooligan of your brother – truth be told I weighed up Hufflepuff for him…"_

_Albus filed that information away for later with a gentle snigger._

"_No, Ravenclaw is out of the question. Just like your father in that regard. I sense a fair dose of loyalty, but again the hardworking standard of the Hufflepuffs would ill-suit you."_

_Albus felt a sense of relief. Just had to cross Slytherin off the list, and everything would be fine. _

"_Now you're a plucky lad – would have to be with that brother of yours," the Hat said with a fond chuckle. "But you're not James. I remember his head very clearly – well-meaning lad, but no sense of self-preservation. Would jump off a cliff to save somebody he loved."_

_Albus didn't think that sounded like a bad trait._

'_Oh it isn't, Mr Potter, but it's not one you possess. No, you have a burning thirst to be different from your brother – different from your famous father, even. You love them both very much, but you're tired of walking in shadows. This is where Slytherin will help you."_

"_No… please…"_

"_I'm afraid, Mr Potter, that my mind is made up. Better be…"_

"_NO!"_

"SLYTHERIN!" he called. Much to Albus's shock, James (despite being startled) leapt to his feet and began applauding heartily, and people from every house cheered. He walked over to the table uncertainly, sitting next to the gesturing Graham. After 'Quinlan, David' was made a Ravenclaw, the Vranovski twin joined them at the Slytherin table.

Only Rose to go.

She was the second last person, so by the time she had placed the Sorting Hat on her head, the majority of the students were hungry, impatient and ready to eat. Murmurs peppered the crowd.

"_Ah, another Weasley." _

_Rose certainly didn't imagine the amused tone coming from the Sorting Hat._

"_Plenty of courage, I see. You're an easy one - better be… GRYFFINDOR!"_

Weak with relief, Rose joined the Gryffindor table, sitting as far away from Silas as possible. Happy as she was, she felt a sense of loss - she and Albus had been so excited, talking about everything they were going to do together in Gryffindor. He had to ruin it by getting sorted into Slytherin, didn't he?

She'd still see him, of course, but it wouldn't be the same.

She turned and introduced herself to the girl sitting next to her.

"Hi, I'm Rose."

"I'm Jade."

Jade had a loose, black braid winding down her back and melted chocolate eyes the colour of her skin.

Each of the tables engaged in varying levels of small talk until the Headmaster stood. Elliot Frostier was a striking image, with his formidably tall outline dominating the podium.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," his deep, husky voice slicing through the chatter, resulting in ripples of silence. "I'm sure you're all eager to begin your feast, but before we begin I have some very grave news. Those in Second Year and older I'm sure would have known Natalie Hart, a Ravenclaw who would have been beginning her fourth year at Hogwarts this year."

Apprehension seeped through the room at his use of past tense.

"We regret to inform all of you, that due to medical conditions, Natalie passed away last month. We know she had many friends here, and our deepest condolences go to her family and friends during this time. Now please, begin the feast."

Nobody began to eat. Quite a few students – witches and wizards alike – were crying, and although some seemed to have already known the news, it was obvious they were all struggling to hold it together. Even the first year's appetites were affected by the sombre mood amongst the students. Rose turned to a Fourth Year a few seats down from her.

"Who was she?" she asked. The Fourth Year looked at her with a small, sad smile.

"Nat was probably the loveliest person I've ever met. She was raised in a Muggle foster home, but apparently she was a half-blood. She was very pretty, always smiling. She was the Chaser for the Ravenclaw team, too. I can't believe she's gone – she was perfectly fine before the holidays."

Rose was aghast.

"That's awful," she sympathised – this gathered a few mute nods from the subdued table.

Slytherin House had taken the news equally harshly.

"Who was she?" Albus muttered to Graham.

"How am I supposed to know?" he shrugged elegantly. A Fourth Year, who had overheard, enlightened them.

"She was the best Chaser to come out of Ravenclaw for a good thirty years," he said. "She was nice too."

"Mmm," another boy agreed, his voice constricted. He hastily began wiping away tears that were threatening to slide down his face.

Almost nothing else was discussed for the next half hour as everybody reminisced and filled the First Years in about Natalie Hart. All agreed she was an outstanding witch, and that it was a raw shock that she was gone.

Try as Scorpius might to feel depressed, he had never met her and the eleven year old in him wanted to eat and go to bed. He reached for a piece of steak and proceeded to pile his plate high. Many followed suit, although there was still far more poking and playing with food than actual eating. This Nat must have been someone special.

/RTH/

After a rather disconsolate dinner, the first years were ushered along into their new dormitories. Albus looked wistfully at the Gryffindors as they left in another direction.

"Keep up!" Lana Mendez, one of the bossier Prefects, yelled to the back of the line. Albus, realising he had come to an absolute stop and was watching the last of the Gryffindors go, began to walk faster, nearly tripping on the long hem of his robe.

"Wishing you were going with your Gryffindor buddies?"

Albus gave a start – he hadn't even noticed Scorpius move behind him.

"No," he lied, stepping to the side so that Scorpius was forced to walk next to him. "Wishing you were off with those Hufflepuffs – obviously that was a close one," he snapped back, sounding a bit harsher than he had meant to. Scorpius merely smirked and gave an elegant shrug.

"I wasn't the one," he put on a falsetto voice, "Gazing languidly after the Gryffindors…"

Whatever he'd been about to say next was cut off by a loud shush from Lana. Albus thought he could see one girl at the front of the line surreptitiously wiping spittle off her cheek.

"We're almost at the Dungeons, and I need you all to listen here. Once we get inside I want all of you first years to sit quietly on the couches – there's to be no running or shouting or clamouring for the best bed, do you hear?"

"Yes Mum," Albus muttered, and was surprised to hear an answering snicker of laughter come from Graham. Lana heard and fixed the two with a cold, disdainful stare that only highlighted her rather small, watery eyes. The other first years gave more sincere murmurs of acknowledgement, and proceeded to take them down a small flight of stairs. A large indistinct wall lay in front of them, stretching into a corridor. Albus saw a few spiders' webs and a lot of dust laced on the walls.

"I hope we're not sleeping anywhere near _here_," Scorpius said disdainfully to the Vranovski twins and, as entitled as he had sounded, Albus was inclined to agree. The air was damp and musty, and the only light source was a sputtering candle jammed into a crevice in the wall. Altogether, Albus thought, an uninviting place.

Lana pressed the wall with her wand, and it grated away to reveal a heavy wooden door. One boy gave a cry of shock, which was met with some good-natured snickers. Probably a muggleborn, Albus thought distractedly. The door was ornate, carved with a fiercely beautiful snake that moved and hissed occasionally.

"Hello!" she said. "I see we have some new first years… ahah that oness a sscaredy.. I can ssmell it in the air… I wonder if any of them would happen to have a rat or something…"

Albus felt it impolite to mention that she was made of wood, and that it would be quite impossible for her to eat a rat even if they did have one spare.

"This lady here is Isis; she guards the door to our common room. Isis doesn't normally bite, so as long as you're polite nothing will go wrong," Lana said lightly. The snake gave a hiss that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

"Normally?" Graham muttered. Scorpius and Albus shrugged, then stiffened awkwardly. Neither knew who Graham had been talking to.

"Regium," Lana said in a high, clear voice to Isis.

"That snake is hissing an awful lot," a boy said nervously to Albus.

"I guess," Albus shrugged. "She just said hello… although I think she'd have trouble eating a rat even if we did have one, don't you think?" he said with a little laugh. The boy looked at him as if he was a strange animal.

"What are you talking about?" he said. "What's this about a rat?"

Now it was Albus's turn to look confused. "She asked for a rat just before…"

"You heard her _speak_?" the boy said incredulously. Albus suddenly felt very nervous.

"You didn't?" he whispered. The boy shook his head, wide-eyed. Albus vaguely remembered his name being Leo Jakins.

"Oh."

That was all he could say.

His mind was spinning. He couldn't be a Parseltongue. The gift was hereditary, he knew, and apparently very dark. He grabbed the boy's arm.

"Leo, isn't it?" he asked. Leo nodded and looked down at Albus' arm, which was clenched into his arm. Albus let go but maintained eye contact. "You can't tell anybody I understood that snake, alright?"

Leo looked pale and confused, but nodded.

"Is there something wrong with it? I'm sorry, but…" the boy looked at him nervously. "I'm muggleborn."

When Albus didn't react negatively, Leo continued more confidently.

"I don't know much about the magical world yet," he said with an apologetic shrug. Their conversation – which had previously been masked by the bubble of chatter surrounding them as the students channelled through the door – came to a stop as the chatter evaporated. Albus, his reply stillborn, looked up to see a formidable looking woman staring at them critically in the green light of the common room.

"Later," Leo whispered. Albus nodded.

The common room itself was amazing. Albus wasn't sure what he'd been expecting – it was perhaps the location of the dungeon that had set the precedent for some cobwebby, potion fume-filled prison, but what Albus was looking at was certainly no prison.

Several low-backed, black leather couches surrounded the roaring fire – Albus thought they looked very comfortable. The whole room was bathed in an exotic underwater glow, and as he looked up Albus realised why. The common room was under the lake, and the roof-high windows turned it into a giant aquarium.

"Wicked!" Leo breathed. Albus nodded his shaggy head and turned his attention to the professor standing in front of the huddle of first years. She had a round face, with very narrow black eyes. Her dark hair was pulled into a very tight, uniform bun and although the sleeves of her brilliant green robes were dramatic and flowing, the rest clung tightly to her petite frame as if they were a second skin.

"I am Professor Zhang," she said shortly, her accent drawing out the 'a' with a nasal ring. "I am Head of Slytherin, and also teach Arithmancy, which will become available to you in your third year. As you _should _have noticed, if you aren't all as dull as you look, is that the common room password is 'Regium'. The password changes every second week or so, so please keep an eye on the noticeboard. I don't wish for my Prefects to have to deal with sobbing first years who have forgotten the password every second minute of the day."

She arched one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows. Then she gave a small smile that softened her features. "That being said, I'm sure this must be very new and frightening and if you have any issues please do not feel afraid to come to me or one of the Prefects. Lastly, I'd just like to remind you of an important rule." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Slytherins stick together. Slytherin House is arguably the most powerful, simply because our students are ambitious, strong leaders, resourceful, determined and," a ghost of a smile touched her features, "have a certain disregard for the rules. People – especially children – fear power and many Slytherin students have felt the brunt of bullies." Her eyes looked very sad.

"Bullying is not tolerated, and if I find out that anybody was involved in the maltreatment of a student from another – or Merlin forbid their own – house, they will have my full wrath to deal with."

All of the first years were silent. Professor Zhang continued in a very light tone.

"Then again, this shouldn't be a problem for any of you, as I expect none of you will be involved in any of that sort of thing," she said, the cautionary tone all too evident in her voice. "In the unfortunate event that one of my students are in trouble, you must remember: Slytherins stick together. Good night."

With that small speech, she gave a slight inclination of her head and left to talk with a Prefect.

"What did you make of her?" Albus asked Leo. Leo shrugged.

"She seemed nice enough – a little strict and serious, maybe."

"Yeah."

A long staircase led to the boys dormitories. Leo went up first, quickly followed by Albus. Scorpius followed, his loud protests that Albus wasn't going fast enough only silenced when Graham told him to shut up. Behind Graham trailed two other boys who, when all six reached the top, shyly introduced themselves as Ben Grace and Horace Pullford.

Not much activity happened as the boys claimed their beds and crawled under their blankets, exhausted. Albus, despite convincing himself he couldn't simply go to bed with so much to think about, began snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for forever – I had actually had this chapter finished for a long time. Anyway, as always, reviews make my day! **


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